Chef Jayps cooks at Singapore restaurant

ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATED) Just weeks after fast-food giant Jollibee opened its first branch in Singapore, Filipinos in the city-state are in for another treat from home as “MasterChef Pinoy Edition” JP Anglo will be the guest chef at the Singapore restaurant Artichoke Café & Bar.

According to the Facebook page of Artichoke, Anglo, fondly called “Chef Jayps” in the reality cooking show, will collaborate with his “old homeboy,” the restaurant’s chef-owner Bjorn Shen for a special Sunday brunch on March 24.

“We've got a special guest with us this Sunday for brunch. Chef JP ‘Jayps’ Anglo, judge of MasterChef Pinoy Edition and Junior MasterChef Philippines, will be rocking out with his homeboy Bjorn just like in this photo from 2006 (though at least one chef has a bit less hair on his head these days),” the restaurant said in its Facebook page.

Chefs JP Anglo and Bjorn Shen cooking side by side in a 2006 photo posted on the Facebook of Artichoke.

Foodies in Singapore are excited for the Filipino chef’s stint in the Lion City.

“We've been searching for good Filipino restaurants in Singapore for some time now. As luck would have it, owner of popular Mai Pao and Mu Shu restaurants in Bacolod and judge of MasterChef Pinoy Edition and Junior MasterChef Philippines - Filipino celebrity chef JP ‘Jayps’ Anglo will be whipping up three Filipino-inspired brunch dishes at artichoke this Sunday, 24 March, with his old homeboy (not to mention, one of our favourite chefs) Bjorn Shen, chef-owner of Artichoke Cafe & Bar,” the website Food & Travel said.

Meanwhile, the magazine Time Out Singapore revealed that Anglo will be preparing three dishes for brunch today. “Expect dishes like bacon and chicken wings adobo on Japanese rice with slow cooked egg, grilled milkfish with garlic rice and salted egg salad, and re-engineered Filipino “corned beef hash,’” Time Out said.

According to a copy of the special menu posted by Time Out on Facebook, Anglo is offering the following: Tortang Talong (S$23), described as a "roasted eggplant omelette with haloumi cheese, salted egg salsa, garlic rice and chili vinegar sauce; Longaniza Sausage Hash (S$25) or "sweet fatty sausage, potato and egg hash, pork crackling, pickles and pan de sal bread"; and Bacon Chicken Adobo (S$25), which is "braised bacon, adobo chicken flakes, slow cooked egg, pickles, garlic rice and annatto oil."

Anglo was even seen shopping at Lucky Plaza on Orchard Road, a popular spot for Filipinos living in Singapore, who posed for pictures with the Pinoy celebrity chef.

Chef JP Anglo poses with Pinoys at Lucky Plaza. Photo from the Facebook page of Artichoke